Can You Still Be Productive During The Holidays? Experts Say Yes

Experts in time management let us in on how to remain productive during the holiday season.

It may be the season to be jolly, but when you get right down to it, the holiday season is both merry and busy for almost all people. We tend to get overwhelmed by so many things to do at work – from meeting year-end goals, to finishing our annual reports and projects that have been staring at us from our calendar. And that is just one side of it. Outside of work, we may have tons of activities to attend to such as reunions, parties, charity events, and let’s not forget our gift-giving and decorating preparations. Though it may seem quite a handful, it is still very much possible to make full use of our holiday time and be productive that would leave us feeling accomplished and satisfied. Those who have mastered the art of time management would agree that all we need to do is to observe these tips to make that time of the year truly wonderful.

Create that holiday spirit

There is certainly no harm if you bring in the holiday spirit in your calendar. As Santa would approach it, you could very well benefit from making a list of the things that you need to prepare for and do, and stick to a realistic schedule. Go further by setting milestones and putting in some form of self-rewards to make sure that each one in the list is done to your satisfaction. By letting your ‘things-to-do’ list work within the holiday atmosphere, you allow yourself to maintain focus when the rush begins.

Plan what you want and don’t want to do

It’s a reality that whenever the holiday season comes, you face a mixture of thoughts and emotions that make you excited and anxious to finish the year as you’ve planned and start the next one as you intend it to be. Now is the time to make a plan, along with your list, of how you’d want things done and your holiday spent. If it means setting aside a few days off to be with family or go somewhere, then set your rules of how much time you’d be willing to spend finishing a project, or as simple as handling your emails. If you’re not comfortable starting a project or doing a certain errand or activity, then go ahead and remove it from your list. Do not force yourself to do things that you don’t want to do to avoid unnecessary stress.

Treat holiday celebrations as rewards

Do you look forward to that family vacation or yearly reunion with college friends? How about a holiday event that you’d want to dress up for? All these get-togethers and celebrations should serve as forms of rewards from where you can derive enjoyment if tied in with a task or an activity that you need to do during the season. Check your calendar to monitor your progress to make sure that you’re able to beat the deadlines you have set for yourself. Being able to work on your assigned task within your timetable heightens the anticipation of having that next party or celebration.

Keep a steady pace

With the mad rush, maintain a firm rein on the way you go about your activities. This is where having a plan and a calendar becomes crucial in letting you stay the course. You’d be surprised at the amount of work that you could get done by sticking to your plan and doing your best not to get sidetracked.

Make use of holiday downtime

Usually, you are able to devote more time during the holidays to do things that you keep on postponing. With perhaps more time-off and lesser time spent on highly stressful work activities, you now have the chance to catch up on literally tidying up your workspace by doing some paper shredding and updating your filing system. Make your office clutter-free and productivity-friendly.If you’re the OCD-type and have always maintained a clean space, then take advantage of the time to do some reviews or learning apps that you’ve always wanted to master or have been using at work.

Before you start thinking of making a list to ask from Santa, do yourself a favor and first come up with your plan on how you’d want to spend the holidays. That’s the best gift that you could give to yourself, in more ways than one.